Today, on August 6, official opening of the Orta-Jami Mosque was to take place after all reconstruction works were completed. Orta Jami is a listed building of XVIII century restored at cost of Enver-aga Umerov and his sons aslan and Rustem, the QHA reported. However, the opening was delayed for some reasons to a later date which is on hold.
The Orta Jami Mosque was built in 1737-1743 by the two Khan brothers who reigned one after another. The elder, Mengli II Selimoglu Geray, is known as the rescuer of Crimea. He outfaced massive military invasions to the peninsula and organized postwar settlement. The younger brother, Selamet II Selimoglu Geray, inherited the throne after Mengli’s death and is known as “Khan-Rejuvenator”. He not only reconstructed old buildings and memorials, including the Khan-Saray, but also built new objects of social importance. Selamet finished building Orta-Jami. Besides, the Khan brothers are known as outstanding charity-givers, theologists and literary artists.
The brothers reigned during the period after the invasion of fieldmarshal Minich who burned down Bakhchisaray. As the modern Historian Olexa Haivoronskiy notes, “The wounds of Minich destructions were soon healed by Selamet II Selimoglu Geray and other Khans”, who gave the city architecture “a modern look”.
During the Soviet regime the listed building served as community centre first, and then cinema, and then it was abandoned. It’s architecture needed demolition of later amenities badly.
Source: qirimtatar.org
Related links:
Muftiyat announces beginning of second round of contest on Cathedral mosque sketches
Majority of Crimean Mosques Unregistered
48 of 1700 mosques are returned to Crimean Muslims
There is a problem of returning the Muslims’ religious buildings in Crimea
Seventh Day Adventists settle in mosque of XVII century
Crimean Moslems are not enabled to restore Selim Mosque in Theodosia
